Current position: dean of the School of Engineering & Applied Science, Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy & the Environment, and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and applied and computational mathematics, Princeton University

Carter on what she hopes to accomplish in the next decade: “First, to use my technical expertise to help efficient generation of renewable fuels needed for heavy-duty transportation from photo- or electrocatalysis become a reality. Second, to use my position as an administrative leader to improve the climate in physical sciences and engineering such that an increasing number of talented people of all backgrounds choose to make our disciplines their life’s work.”

What her colleagues say: “Professor Carter is one of the world’s leading developers of new theoretical methods for chemistry and materials. The models she has developed have enabled the accurate theoretical study of a broad array of important grand-challenge problems, such as the discovery and design of molecules and materials for sustainable energy. Her insightful analyses of phenomena that range from surface science to photovoltaics and photocatalysis to metal-oxide semiconductors are legendary.”—Mark Gordon, Iowa State University